This invention relates generally to valve plate construction, and more particularly to the construction of a valve plate for use in a refrigerant compressor. The invention is particularly adapted to provide a simple, inexpensive technique of constructing a valve plate assembly which utilizes inexpensive materials and inexpensive manufacturing techniques.
One of the basic prior art valve plate assemblies for refrigerant compressors utilizes a design to provide an annular valve plate which is drilled with radially extending passages to provide radial inflow of gas and has a central axial passage communicating with the discharge valve to provide for axial discharge of a gas.
This particular design of valve plate assembly and the associated refrigerant compressor has proved to be very satisfactory in use and has found wide acceptance for many many reasons. However, while serving in a very effective manner to accomplish its desired function, nevertheless it is rather expensive to manufacture, the manufacturing techniques requiring multiple machining operations on tube of bar stock. Thus while the valve plate assembly functions well in its performance it is relatively expensive and requires precision machining operations.